We all reach that point in our life where we stop being kids and are expected to know exactly how to be an adult. It’s like the minute we reach 18-year-old you are on your own, regardless if you actually are or not. You are expected to go from being a kid one moment to being an adult the next and have all the knowledge that comes with it.

The reality of this is we don’t have that knowledge and are left with the older generation constantly telling us things that begin to annoy us. So, without further ado, here is a list of things my generation, including myself, are tired of hearing.

1. “You need an education.”

Yeah, well, that education is expensive and most the time parents don’t understand how time-consuming and difficult it is.

2. “You need a job.”

OK, so you want me to get an education and have a job? That’s a difficult task to uphold when you are full time at both, speaking from personal experience. This leads to a burnout.

3. “You need a license.”

So, I know this might not be a big problem for most but for me it is. I got so busy with school that the license became an afterthought and I am regretting that now.

4. “You are too young to be this tired.”

Well, when you have two jobs and go to school, and have a relationship to maintain it becomes difficult to get all the sleep and nutrition you need.

5. “I’d hate to see what your house looks like when you get your own place.”

Look, I know how to clean. Just, at this point in my life, I lack the time to actually do it right. Don’t let the lack of time confuse you, I am a cleanly person.

6. “You’ll understand when you’re older.”

Just because I haven’t been in the same experience as you doesn’t mean I don’t have the knowledge to understand the situation. Don’t confuse young for naïve.

7. “Don’t grow up so fast.”

Then stop telling me these are the most important years of my life that will make or break my future.

8. “Your generation is so lazy.”

This may be true but don’t judge a book by it’s cover. Don’t lump me in with the rest of my generation because I was raised with a good work ethic.

9. “You’re too young to know what love is.”

Well, I feel how I feel. To me, this is what love is and who’s to say you know what love is?

10. “It’s not the end of the world.”

Well, at that moment it is, so let me think it is. It may not be the end of the world but could be the end of a chapter we are not ready to let go of.

11. “You shouldn’t be on technology so much.”

Yeah, well, if I wasn’t then I would actually have to deal with my problems and then I would always be sad. Just kidding. In all honesty, I get to connect with people all over the world and that makes me happy, so technology is a good thing.

12. “When I was your age …”

OK, well, that was like three decades ago and times have changed.

13. “These are supposed to be the best times of our life.”

The keyword here is “supposed to be.” I would love to be having a good time, but I can’t because you are expecting too much from me.

14. “Don’t let a boy/girl ruin your life.”

Look I need you to believe that I am strong enough to make my own decisions and to know what is best for me.

15. “We just want what’s best for you.”

I want what’s best for me too, and a lot of times what you think is best for me and what I think is best for me are two entirely different things.

To High School Seniors In Their Last Semester

Dammit, you made it. The final semester of your senior year. You’re at the top of the food chain of high school, and it feels so good. You’re probably praying this last semester flies by, that you get out of town as soon as possible.

At this point, you’re calling teachers by their first names, the entire staff knows you by name, and you’re walking around school standing tall, owning those hallways. You’re convinced you’re ready to leave and move on to the next chapter in your life.

You’ve already experienced your last football game, standing in the cold in the front row of the student section all season long, decked out in your school colors and cheering loud and proud. That is, until they lost, and you realized you will never have that experience again. Never again.

You already had your last winter break. Preparing and celebrating the holidays with your family, ice skating and sledding with your best friends. Those quiet nights alone in your room watching Netflix, taking for granted your loved ones just a few rooms away. Never again.

If you’re an athlete, you may have already played in your last game or ran your last race. The crowd cheering, proudly wearing your school’s name across your chest, giving it your all. For some, it may be the end of your athletic career. Before you knew it, you were standing in an empty gym, staring up at the banners and thinking about the mark you left on your school, wondering where on earth the time went. Never again.

I’m telling you right now, you’re going to miss it all. Everything you’ve ever known. Those early mornings when you debate going to first hour because you really need those McDonald’s hash browns. The late nights driving home from practice, stopping for ice cream of course, ready for a late night of homework. Getting food on a whim with your friends. Endless fights with your siblings. Your favorite chips in the pantry. A fridge full of food. Coming home to and getting tackled by your dog. Driving around your hometown, passing the same sights you’ve seen every day for as long as you can remember. Hugs from your mom after a long day. Laughs with your dad. And that best friend of yours? You’re going to miss them more than anything. I’m telling you right now, nothing will ever be the same. Never again.

Before you start packing your bags, slow down, take a deep breath, and look around. You’ve got it pretty good here. The end of your senior year can be the time of your life; it’s truly amazing. So go to the winter dance, go to Prom, spend Senior Skip Day with your classmates, go to every sporting event you can, while you still can. College is pretty great, but it’s the little things you’re gonna miss the most. Don’t take it for granted because soon, you’ll be standing in a packed gym in your cap and gown, wondering where the heck the time went. You’ve got a long, beautiful life ahead of you, full of joy but also full of challenges. You’re going to meet so many wonderful people, people who will treat you right and people who won’t.

So, take it all in. Be excited for the future and look forward to it, but be mindful of the present. You’ve got this.

A few days ago, I had to go to the Reitz Union with a bunch of my fellow Preview Staffers in order to do gator chants and be overly enthusiastic for middle schoolers. You know, the usual. After we finished welcoming the middle schoolers, a few of my friends and I were talking about how in middle school, we were all super unenthused about, well, everything. Then, my friend turned to me and said: "Remember when it was cool to not care?".

Yes, I do remember. I remember being in sixth grade, thinking I was too cool for school and that hating things was the new, hip way of becoming Jenny from the block. That my teenage angst and the suppression of my true, gentle, loving self was the only way that I would have status among the coolest of cool sixth graders. The truth is, it isn't cool to hate things.

Today, I am the biggest, most enthusiastic goober on the planet. I love caring. I love obsessing over my friends and cheering them on. I love being in love with my university. I love being in love with life. I love loving my parents. I love caring WAY too much. And I think that it is the coolest thing in the world. The coolest person you can be is someone who cares a whole awful lot.

I don't know why this happens. Why every middle schooler thinks that it is cool to not care about their parents or to disconnect from the world. But what I do know is that this is learned. We shouldn't teach our kids or our students or our peers to not care. We should teach them to love and to laugh and to break out of their shell and be themselves without fear or reprimand. We shouldn't tell people that they are "annoying" when all they are is enthusiastic. We shouldn't scold people for getting loud when talking about things that they are passionate about.

I think that you should be loud and enthusiastic and passionate in every sense of those words because they are absolutely wonderful things to be. The world doesn't need more hate. It needs more care, more love, and more joy. Even from middle schoolers.